The countdown
by Erephen
Summary: When a thief successfully pickpockets the Storm of the Vongola, neither knew what fate had prepared for them. There is a storm brewing, and the howling winds will sweep them off their feet and force the truth to be revealed. There is more at stake than just their lives. Nobody can stop the countdown. G x fem!Gokudera. Fem!Tsuna. T for G's language. A gift for A Cup Of Via Lattea!


This is a gift fic for wonderful and patient **A Cup Of Via Lattea**! I'm very sorry it's a bit late, but it's still 25th here, so it counts, right? Right! So, without further ado, here you go! I hope you'll like it :) Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

**Disclaimer**: obviously, I don't own anything recognizable from KHR. I'm just playing around with this wonderful world, created by Amano-sensei.

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><p>"Hey, idiot..." a rustle of fabric indicated that the speaker turned slightly to face the person they addressed.<p>

"Hn? Need something, brat?" came a teasing reply, followed by a snort and a huff.

"How many times did I ask you not to call me that?"

"At least... fifty or so? But I told you, you take shots at me, I can do the same. It's only fair, don't ya think?"

"Tch... stupid pink head..."

"Oi! They're red, you blind old bat!"

"I ain't old, you fossil!"

"Uh-huh, tell that to your mirror, with those gray hair..."

"They're silver! You just- ugh, nevermind... anyway, I just... well... remember the first time we met?"

"As if I could ever forget. It's hard to just erase such a thing from one's memory..."

"Regret anything?"

"Hell no. That was the start of the whole debacle that brought us together, after all... you were such a tomboy then, not that you got any better..."

"You wanna repeat that, you shithead?!"

"Oi oi, tone it down, you want to wake up your precious missus? No? Didn't think so. Right, that day... hah, I still remember Alaude's expression like it was yesterday, even though I was your victim..."

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><p>"Goddamnit, where'd that annoying blonde wandered again?!" A tall man was strolling down a bustling street, hands in his pockets and a lit cigarette between his lips, now twisted in an ugly snarl. Strands of light red (or dark pink, as most loved to point out to his ire) hair fell sometimes into his slightly darker red eyes, and his stormy expression was a strong deterrent for all female admirers of his handsome face and lithe, masculine body, clad in simple slacks and white shirt. He didn't have any visible weaponry on him, but those that had an earlier... acquaintance with him and recognized the tattoo crawling on the right side of his neck and face, knew very well he was a seasoned marksman with his guns.<p>

"Calm down, G, he'll appear at some point again, as always..." came the calm and collected answer of his companion, a blonde man in a black coat, whose steely blue eyes were enough of a deterrent to any potential muggers or pickpockets. Alaude was known for his vicious fighting skills and unrelenting chase of any criminals. That day, he decided to accompany his... boss and comrade in a trip to the nearby town. "Most probably we shall find him in a confectionery..."

"Tch, he and his cake obsession..." G growled low, shaking his head. "I sometimes wonder why he isn't getting fat, with the amounts he can eat..."

"I suppose him trying to corral you order breakers into not destroying the mansion has something to do with this fact..." the blonde mused, sending a harsh glare at a thief poorly trying to masquerade as a beggar, sending the man scurrying very fast into the nearest dark alley.

"Your idea of torture... I mean, training, also probably helps," a puff of smoke accompanied G's snort. He wanted to say something more, but then someone bumped into him quite hard from behind. The man steadied himself quickly, but before he could glare at the offender, he got a quick 'sorry' and the only thing G glimpsed was some silver strands escaping from a bulky cap before a thin waif of a teen mixed with the crowd.

"Check your pocket..." something in Alaude's voice made him not snap back and just do what he was told.

"… fuck! Where did-"

"Second side alley on the right. Got the little thief pegged," the blonde was already in his 'bloodhound mode', as the others called it. Meaning, the poor kid was in the world of pain once the leader of the best intel groups in the civilized societies caught them. Well, when G gets there first, the thief's fate will be as bad...

"Got it..." G was already running towards the alley, knowing that Alaude would just dive into the side alleys and follow his own instincts to catch the little rascal. But the red hair had to give it to the thief... one needed quite a bit of skill to snatch his purse and only get noticed by the spy master extraordinaire. Now, to find the culprit... large cap, silver hair, quite thin, underfed clearly... he grinned nastily. Oh yes, this spot of trouble was a nice change from just walking around, trying to find the blonde idiot that was their leader...

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><p>In the shadows of an alley, a thin figure was huddled to the wall, breathing quickly but as quietly as possible. First rule of escaping after a theft – get as far away as possible. Second – don't be a noisy idiot. Third – hide quickly. First two rules were easy, the third one... not really, not here. The maze of alleyways, even though known to the thief pretty well, posed a small problem: there was no viable place to hide there, as most of the buildings had no side or back doors, nor any crates were stored there. That meant that anyone wanting to cut through here had to be swift and know where to turn to get to more... profitable spots. At least that pink haired idiot was quite loaded, this gold will be very well used, oh yes... right, time to move! That bakery won't have those soft muffins for long, and she wanted to eat them so much last time... and then to that apothecary... and maybe to that small flower shop... and-<p>

And the thief ducked at the last moment, prompted by the survival instinct, polished during all these years on the streets. A harsh clink of something metal sounded from a spot really close to one of their hands, but there was no time to check what that was, it was time to run like hell!

And so the thief did so, not realizing that the dodge stunt only made them a more worthy prey for the blonde bloodhound hot on their track.

"Wao..." Alaude blinked slowly, before starting to run after the thief, collecting his handcuffs on the way. That was some impressive spatial awareness, even he would admit that. This particular ruffian was worth investigating further... maybe. Possibly. Unless they impress him more, the aloof hunter won't even give them a time of the day before throwing them into jail for stealing and disturbing peace.

The thief turned sharply into another alleyway, thinking that it would throw their tail off their scent, but Alaude was too good to be tricked in such a simple way. The blonde was quickly getting close to his prey, and when he noticed G rushing down the parallel alley, the plan immediately was formed and enacted. One precise throw of handcuffs made the ruffian skid and turn into a side passage...

… that took them right into G's unforgiving clutches.

"Hah, gotcha, brat..." the red head grinned nastily, holding onto the squirming teen with some difficulty. Damn, was this one slippery! He already almost lost his grip on them twice before he caught up. "Now, what to do with you, eh?..."

"Simple. Thief, you are arrested for theft and disturbance of peace," Alaude stated coldly, stalking closer to the pair with his trusty handcuffs at the ready.

A pair of bright, green eyes flashed from under the cap's wide brim, something unrecognizable filling the gaze. Then, they steeled in resolve, making the blonde man narrow his eyes. What was this teen planning?...

"..." the thief turned slowly a bit, not making any violent moves. This sudden compliance should've alerted G, but he was just glad this chase was over and they could return to looking for that stupid boss of theirs. That's why, when he felt some suspicious... softness pressed into his hands, a softness he recognized immediately, he was too startled with that discovery to stop what happened.

One sharp twist and the thief was free.

And rushed right at Alaude, who was a bit startled as well, because the ruffian didn't telegraph their intentions at all, plus this maneuver was really stupid and reckless.

Result? He was pushed hard into the nearest wall at such an angle that he needed a moment to re-orientate himself. When he did so, the thief was already gone, the sounds of fast running blending with the noise of busy main streets.

"Fuck! C'mon, Alaude, we have to-"

"No, G..." two simple words made the red head stop in place and turn to look at the speaker. Alaude turned as well, glaring at the other blonde, who stepped out of the shadows of yet another narrow street, gazing in the direction the thief chose to flee in.

"The hell, Giotto! That brat stole my monies! We gotta get'em back!" G fumed, also glaring at his friend.

The look of the bright, blue eyes made him tense. There was this steely glint in them, a sign of Giotto's famed intuition working full-tilt.

"No. It's better to let them go. This will... this will be very profitable for us... but I don't know why..." Giotto huffed slightly and shrugged. "I have a feeling you'll meet this one again at some point. And you shouldn't punish them then, there's something... important connected to them. Anyway, this amount of money is barely pocket change for us, for them it might mean a month of food. So, no, we won't chase them. Come on, it's time to go back home..." he turned to leave, but then he noticed that his impulsive friend froze again, his eyes open wide, as he finally fully registered just exactly what he felt when the thief squirmed in his hold. "G?"

"It was... a _girl_?!"

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><p>"I'm back, <em>princessa<em>!" the old, chipped door leading to a small, dingy room opened wide, letting in a thin figure, clad in inconspicuous clothes and a big cap that hid their bright silver hair. Some heavy bags were carried in and then set down on a rickety table. "How are you right now? It didn't get worse, I hope..."

The thief took off the cap, letting the shoulder-length silver tresses flow free around a slightly angular, but undeniably female face. Green eyes sparkled with happiness, pride and protectiveness when they took in the even thinner, small figure on a makeshift bedding, covered with some thin blankets. This was the most important person in her life, a friend, no – a _sister_ in everything but blood. They grew up together in the orphanage before they had to run to escape being sold to a child factory. Her little _bella_ was already sick then, she wouldn't survive that kind of hell...

"I'm okay, Haya. I felt a bit weak around noon, so I took a nap, but now I'm good!" tired, but still so soft and caring brown eyes were smiling at the silver haired teen. "You're flushed, did you have trouble today?"

"A-ah, well, a bit, but it's nothing I couldn't deal with! Ahahaha..." Haya laughed weakly, scratching her head. So she returned later than she planned and announced, but hey, she had good reasons! All this running made her breathe heavily, but she had to be sure she lost these idiots before she could go back home. "Don't worry, Tsu, it's alright. I wasn't followed, I'm certain of that. Now, I got you some of the muffins you wanted so much, and I got some relatively good meat and fresh veggies, I can make you some soup! And I still have money left to last us at least a month!"

"That's good... I just wish you didn't resort to stealing..." the brown eyed girl wanted to say more, but heavy coughs wracked her frame at that moment. The silverette was at her side in an instant.

"Hey... hey... okay... lean forwards... yeah, like that... hold on..." she murmured softly, supporting the way too small and delicate figure, a result of ongoing illness and lack of proper food and exercise. "I went to that apothecary... the magister promised to make some medicine that might help... and they even didn't rip me off that much... so maybe it won't be a fake again... yeah, breathe, slowly..." when the coughs subsided, Haya gently tucked her friend back under the blankets and smiled at her.

"Don't worry, Tsu. I'll protect you for sure... I'll never abandon you, not like _them_. Now, sleep, and I'll start cooking..." with that, she stood up and set off to work. Her mind wandered back to the incident with these two. It was close, really close... they were good. Very good. She had some damn luck that she managed to escape, and it was only because she shocked that pink haired one into loosening his grip. Next time it won't be that easy. She resolved she won't ever get close to them, nuh-uh. Even though she would easily admit that the one that caught her was... rather handsome. Only that pink hair... hah.

Humming softly, she started unpacking the bags, not seeing the far-away, steely gaze of brown eyes, a gaze that held knowledge of hints about their future – a future, that would quite soon become turbulent and dangerous, and there was no certainty that everything would end well. It depended too much on too many things, and she had no idea just _what_ would occur, just that it _would_, her whole mind was now screaming at her that it was very important... well, whatever happens, happens. With a soft sigh, Tsu closed her eyes and let herself doze lightly. There was something Haya wasn't telling her, but whatever it was, she was sure it already became the catalyst of the change.

All she could do now was wait and pray that they both live to see what her instincts were hinting at. The countdown was on, the clock was ticking away. A heavy storm was brewing... and the skies had to be ready for the outcome.

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><p>There will be more chapters, I just don't know when, so I can't promise anything specific. But, yeah, the romance will come later, right now I had to set up the whole stage. Alaude and G were surprisingly hard to write, damn them... *shakes fist* thank you for reading, please leave a review!<p>

Erephen out.


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